Songs from UMG artists are now again available to TikTok creators, after a dispute over royalty payments and AI policies was resolved.

This has seen the return of a lengthy list of artists, including Bad Bunny, Sting, The Weeknd, Alicia Keys, Drake, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Bob Dylan, and Post Malone …

UMG artists were pulled from TikTok in February

TikTok creators can overlay song clips from popular artists in their short videos, thanks to licensing deals with the major labels. However, the deal with UMG (Universal Music Group) expired at the end of January, and the label refused to sign up to TikTok’s proposed renewal terms – which would have seen lower royalty payments, and permitted AI versions of their songs.

When no deal was reached, songs from UMG artists were pulled from the platform.

Taylor Swift songs returned to TikTok last month, after apparently reaching a bespoke deal with the app developer. She was able to do this as the singer-songwriter retains ownership of her own music, using UMG only for distribution.

Dispute now resolved, and all artists back

TikTok and UMG issued a joint announcement of a new licensing deal.

The joint agreement marks a new era of strategic collaboration between the two organizations, built on a shared commitment to help UMG’s artists and songwriters achieve their creative and commercial potential. By harnessing TikTok’s best-in-class technology, marketing and promotional capabilities, UMG and TikTok will deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI.

Reading between the lines, it seems that UMG got some or all of the royalties they were seeking, as well as reaching an agreement on what can and can’t be done with AI.

The respective CEOs of the two companies welcomed the deal.

UMG CEO Lucian Grainge: “We look forward to collaborating with the team at TikTok to further the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing social music monetization.”

TikTok CEO Shou Chew: “We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG’s amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”

The short video app company also said that it would ensure AI tools were “developed responsibly” in a way that would protect human creativity.

Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash